The claim, reported in The Sunday Times, comes after Mrs May was “humiliated” at the European Union (EU) summit in Austria last week, with Brussels bosses rejecting her Chequers plan for a ‘soft Brexit’.

The newspaper said that two senior members of Mrs May’s Downing Street political team began “wargaming” an autumn vote to win public backing for a new plan after the rejection in Salzburg.

After the EU’s rejection of Chequers, the aides reportedly want Mrs May to commit to a cleaner form of Brexit but believe the only way to win support for this in Parliament is to call the general election.

The aides say another general election is “the only way” to save Mrs May’s premiership.

The claims emerge as Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn says he plans to side with Tory Brexit rebels to force Mrs May into a general election as early as November.